Conquer Your Love (17 page)

I turned around and he cupped my face, forcing me to look up. His eyes
were as deep as the sea around us.

“You’re honest and clever. You’re interesting because you have something
many don’t have: charm, spirit, and a kind heart. And you’re sexy.” His lips
hovered over mine, sending my insides into a raging storm of anticipation. “But
what’s most important to me is the fact that you’re loyal. I know you wouldn’t
betray me.”

Was I loyal? Would I never betray him? Probably yes. But were those good
enough qualities to keep a man like him?

A soft breeze pushed an unruly curl into my eyes. I lifted my hand to
brush it away but Jett beat me to it. His fingers sent a delicious tingle
through my skin that reminded me just how much
my heart was
consumed by him
.

It’s not natural to fall, and
fall so hard.

“When you reach the top the only way is down,” I mumbled. “You’re my
peak and I don’t want to plummet into the depths awaiting me when we’re done.”

A few seconds passed between us before he spoke.

“Maybe you think I want what others want, but that’s not the case. I’m
looking for things that matter. Things I can hold and treasure forever. I think
you’re worth holding onto, Brooke. And that’s worth more in time to come than
anything you think might be of importance.”

My pulse quickened as his hand ran down my spine, sending an electric
shiver into my abdomen.

I wanted to believe him so bad it hurt. But my parents had loved each
other and yet my father still killed himself, leaving my mother behind with a hole
in her heart so deep not even I, as her daughter, could ever fill.

“I told you once and I’ll tell you again,” Jett said softly. “I don’t
want someone who’s perfect because I’m not perfect. I want someone who’s real;
someone who complements me rather than completes me.”

My resolve was fading. I could feel it in the way my sappy heart began
to cry with joy and the way my legs threatened to buckle beneath me, sending me
straight into his open arms. Or heaven—whatever came first.

 
I think Jett could see it
too because he pulled me closer, until I couldn’t break away even if I wanted.

“For what it’s worth, I still want to be with you and I know you want
it, too,” Jett whispered. “Just let it happen.”

It was true—and for this I hated him, loved him, wanted him, and
yet I wished him away.
So many conflicting emotions of wants
and needs.
So much fear.
Not because of him,
but because of myself—of how deep my feelings and desires were running,
and how much I would fall if I happened to lose my grip.

“What do you say?” His lips found mine, taking from them the answer he
desired.

My mind was spinning, my heart was screaming, but my body knew what it
wanted. It was wet and ready for him. And he knew it. I knew it. His hand moved
up until he held the back of my head and our lips began to brush against each
other. As he kissed me deeply, he took not only every ounce of my breath away,
but also the remaining wall of my castle. For once, everything clicked into
place. In his arms I felt like I was home.

Pressed against me
, Jett smelled
amazing—rich, and earthy, and edible, like a man should smell. His stubble
rasped against my skin as he buried his face in my neck, licking and biting,
teasing me. In the fog of lust descending upon my brain, I realized he was
mouthwateringly sexy and I intended to taste every bit of him, whether he
wanted it or not. Judging from his panting and the way his shimmering green
eyes seemed to have darkened in spite of the bright rays of sun catching in
them, he was very much up for it.

“Let’s go inside. I want to do a lot of naughty things to you,” I
whispered against his mouth.

“I can’t wait that long.” His voice was deep and hoarse, and reflected
my own desire. And oh, that accent! I had to ask him about it…as soon as we
were done.
If I managed to remember.
Because right now
I was having a hard time controlling everything, from my labored breathing to
the way my heart seemed to want to storm out of my chest.

No man’s scent, or voice, had ever headed straight for my panties like
this. I appreciated a deep rumble just like any other woman, but Jett’s
baritone was heavenly. He had me panting with nothing more than a whiff and a
few words. And don’t even get me started on his dreamy eyes and luscious body.

I took a sharp breath and let his tongue invade my mouth with perfect
precision, each lick and tug on my lips sending flames through my body as he
pressed me harder into the railing and opened my legs with one motion of his
knee. My nipples beaded on contact with his knowledgeable fingers and heat
began to pool between my legs.

“Jett.” His mouth stifled my moan. His hands continued to caress my body
through my thin top and skirt. Next thing I knew my top was gone and my bra
unclasped. My breasts spilled into his open palms, ready to be touched and
given his undivided attention. His mouth left mine and moved south. Closing my
eyes and dipping my head back, I gave in to the exquisite sensation of his
rough tongue rasping the sensitive skin of my breasts. His relentless fingers
began to knead my breasts while his mouth kept torturing my nipples, biting,
licking,
sucking
—a bit of all of them at once.
My head began to spin from all the different sensations flooding my body, and I
groaned something that sounded vaguely like ‘more.’

“I love the sexy sounds you make when you’re horny, baby. Can you say it
one more time?”

“More,” I whispered.

I could feel the slow clenching within my
lower abdomen, the heat gathering in my clit as my senses awakened to the
sensual pleasure his mouth sent through my breasts. The sensations consumed me,
made me want to beg him to—

Stop?

Continue?

I couldn’t decide.

I moaned as Jett’s mouth traveled down my
belly and his tongue dipped into my navel, working his way to my inner thighs.

“Lift your leg for me,” Jett said, hitching
my skirt up to my waist and then my panties down to my ankles. I stepped out of
them and, bending my knees, I propped my foot against the railing, my heated
flesh exposed to his touch and his hungry look.

“You’re so beautiful and wet.” His voice came
low and hoarse—filled with a desire matching mine.

And then his lips were on me, his tongue
inside me, licking and thrusting through my damp folds. Slow at first, then
faster, pausing only to flick his tongue over my sensitive clit, torturing me
even more. A whimper escaped my lips as an electric jolt ran through my
entrance and my sex clenched with need for
him.

I gazed down at him and our eyes connected in
that ancient language of sex that knows no words—just sweet all-consuming
sensation. If he kept up the torture, I’d come. But I didn’t want to—not
yet.

“Fuck me.” It wasn’t a plea; it was a demand.
And Jett knew it because he instantly let go of me. Grinning, he came up and
captured my mouth in a heated kiss. His lips and tongue tasted of my wetness
and that turned me on even more. At the periphery of my mind, I registered his
hands between our bodies, removing his jeans and pulling down his shorts. My
fingers moved to caress him, eager to gift him the same kind of pleasure he had
gifted me, but his erection was between my legs already. Lifting me up and
pressing my back into the railing, he entered me in one swift motion. A groan
tore from Jett’s lips as he pushed his entire length into me and began to
thrust in long, hard movements. My sex began to tighten on him as he swelled
marginally within me and I gasped in pleasure, the shock of how big he was
almost making me come.

“More, baby?”

Jett’s eyes bore into me with such intensity I felt the fragile walls of
my heart crumbling at his feet. He was so beautiful, so perfect in his lust for
me,
I wanted to stay buried in his arms, with him
inside me, forever. Our bodies united, we moved together beyond time and space,
drowning in each other’s desire. There was no more to the world than
sensation—thrilling and demanding and aching—as our souls collided
and our damp bodies met time and time again, until I knew we were about to
become one.

Burying his head in the crane of my neck, I felt Jett’s hot breath on my
skin, whispering how beautiful I was, how much he wanted me. Against the
glaring brightness of the sun, I closed my eyes and tightened on his erection.
He pulsed between my legs and his breathing quickened, signaling his release
was imminent.

With a last shudder, I gave myself to him as my whole being shattered
around him in a million pieces. Faintly, I felt his hand on my clit as he
pulsed inside me, once, twice, with my name on his lips, and his other hand
buried in my hair. A hot jolt of lightning seared my clit a moment before his
moisture surged through my sex. Our bodies began to melt into one another as we
claimed our climaxes together as one.

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity must have passed, he
lifted me up in his arms and carried me into the bedroom. With the soft
fragrance of his sheets and the heady scent of our lovemaking still clinging to
our skin, I fell asleep in Jett’s arms.

My head was
leaning against the window of
Jett’s expensive car, my skin scorching with the promise of another sunburn
courtesy of our lovemaking on the boat’s deck. Only thirty minutes to go and
I’d be back in my normal world, away from Jett’s presence, and already I felt
like I was missing him—even though he was sitting right beside me,
steering the car through the country lanes at a leisurely speed.

The sun was setting, coloring the sky in dark shades of red, bronze, and
copper. Soon the sky would darken and display the moon and the stars. It was my
favorite time of the day—the few minutes between day and night, when it
wasn’t quite either. I was ready for my next first with Jett.

“Tired?” Jett asked, shooting me a sideway glance.

I nodded and returned his smile. “A bit. Thanks for the date. I had a
great day.”

“So did I. I’d like to do it again.” He winked and turned his attention
back on the road.

My cheeks caught fire at his insinuation.

“The boat’s amazing. No wonder you spend so much time on it.” I laughed
out loud, thinking how wonderful it must be to live on a boat. Be carefree. Do
whatever you feel like doing.

“Once you’ve figured out what to do with the estate and everything’s
settled, we’ll set sail for a week,” Jett said. “Maybe even travel the world
or, in this case, the world’s waters.”

“That sounds amazing.” I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes for a
moment, savoring his presence. It felt so good to be near him,
with
him. I couldn’t wait to spend more
time together and get to know each other. Like
really
find
out everything about him,
including favorite color, hopes and wishes, the stuff of his nightmares, and
what brought a smile to his perfect face. I couldn’t just ask without seeming
to be inquisitive fan girl material, so my best bet was to get him to talk.

“You asked me if I could swim,” I began. “I can, but I wish I could
dive. When I was younger I had the dream to live underwater among corals and
fish, which is weird because I’m scared of drowning. I bet you can scuba dive,
huh?”

His fleeting look shot to the rearview mirror and his foot stepped on
the accelerator.

Not the elaborate answer, or interest, I had been hoping for. I held on
to the armrest for support and thought of another angle I could go. “What are
you scared of?”

“Not sure.” His voice came a little brisk.

 
Okay.

His sudden reticence was making meaningful conversation difficult. I
turned to regard him, but his focus was on the road ahead.

“Jett?” I touched his arm gently to get his attention.

He frowned but didn’t turn. “Yes?”

“Are you tired? Or would you rather not talk? Because I’m fine with the
latter.” I tried to infuse as much nonchalance into my voice as I could muster.
All guys were weird every now and then, right? If he needed a bit of space, I
could give him that.

“No.” He shook his head, his gaze moving to the rearview mirror again.
“Sorry, baby, I’m a little distracted right now.”

He was probably not interested in all my boring stuff. Of course, as a
woman I tended to drone on forever, so I decided to lighten up his mood.

“There’s still so much thinking to do about the estate’s future, but I
want you to know that I’m seriously considering your job offer.” I narrowed my
eyes on him. His face was tense in concentration on the road ahead. A deep line
had formed between his brows. “The pay raise sounds great and I’ve always
wanted to be a team manager.”

It was my clue to him that I wanted to work with him again. I thought
the idea would please him.